


Here

by roseslotusvioletiris



Category: Chicago PD (TV)
Genre: 7x16, F/M, OC, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-09
Updated: 2020-03-09
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:21:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23075413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roseslotusvioletiris/pseuds/roseslotusvioletiris
Summary: Based off of 7x16. Hailey has an unexpected visitor.
Relationships: Jay Halstead & Hailey Upton, Jay Halstead/Hailey Upton
Kudos: 144





	Here

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, wasn’t that a great episode last week! So many good upstead scenes!!! Hailey’s reveal of her mom still being with her dad captivated me though. So I wrote about it! I’ll probably write more in regards to it as well. I know abuse of any kind is a sensitive subject, so I hope I approached it well and just want to remind everyone of how hard it is for the victim to leave the abuser. I don’t own Chicago PD or the crown, but I guess i “own” Helen? At least that’s my characterization of Hailey’s mother :) hope everyone enjoys and as always I take requests on my tumblr, @brettoniotrashcentral !

The pounding on the door startled Hailey. She wasn’t expecting anyone, and the only person who would show up unexpectedly was already sitting across from her. 

The rain hadn’t let up all day, and was still going strong into the night. Whoever was outside her house had to be batshit crazy. 

“Are you expecting anyone?” Jay asked, following her to the door with a frown. She couldn’t resist rolling her eyes at how alert he suddenly became. All business. And also incredibly nosy. 

Her mind whispered that he wanted to make sure she was safe. She quickly shut down that thought before the butterfly sensation could begin in her stomach.

Hailey managed to shake her head, too distracted to give a verbal response. She looked through the peephole, but the rain was so harsh that she wasn’t able to distinguish the face. However, in her gut she had a bad feeling about who the mystery person could be. So she opened the door. 

Her shivering mother stood on her doorstep, soaked to the bone. All she had on was a thin cardigan, clinging to her skin. Her eyes were the worst part. They held terror, shame, and exhaustion. 

“Holy shit, mom!” Hailey cursed, dragging her mom inside the house. She guided her past her kitchen, living room and into her bedroom. First things first she needed to get her mom out of her drenched clothes. 

“It’s not as bad as it looks.” Her mom attempted to smile, but her chattering teeth ruined any chance of a positive affect. But this was typical mom. Even though all her children were adults, she still tried to comfort them as if they were kids. 

It was heartbreaking. 

Hailey bit her tongue, knowing going off would be useless. Her mom would only get distressed. It’s not like her input changed anything. Instead she focused on what she could do. “You can borrow some of my clothes.” She told her, pulling out a loose t-shirt, sweats, and underwear. 

Her mom was a midget compared to her, leaving no issue of size. Hailey sat on the corner of her bed and silently watched as her mother undressed. She didn’t bother to look away, her detective instinct, and for that matter, daughterly concern, wouldn’t allow her. 

To her relief there were no visible bruises.

When she was finally dressed, she only looked more fragile with the clothes baggy on her tiny frame. 

Hailey threw her mom’s damp clothes in her own hamper, mindful of not wanting to get her wooden floor moldy. Her mother simply watched, fingers fingering the seam of her shirt. 

Her mother usually held up a better persona. Cheery, happy, bubbly. At least when Hailey’s father wasn’t around. Then she was more demurred, sullen, skittish. Neither of these were the case at the moment. She looked completely lost. 

But still shaking. Hailey reached out to take her hand, alarmed by how cold it was. “Let’s get you warmed up.” And led her back to the living room. 

Jay was there. Hailey shouldn’t be surprised, but she was. “You’re still here?” The words come out of her mouth before she could stop them. Her mom was tucked in beside her, eyeing Jay curiously. And, which gutted Hailey, a hint of fear. 

What the hell did her bastard of a husband do to her this time? 

He nodded, gesturing to the fireplace. It was lit, the warmth already detected from where Hailey stood. “Thought a fire would be handy.” 

Selfishly, she was glad he didn’t leave. His presence alone grounded her immensely. “Thank you.” She gives him a soft smile, which he returned. He also gave a concerned look to her mom. 

As she led her mom to the couch, Jay spoke up again. “I could make some tea?” He was looking at her mom, but Hailey knew the question was for her. 

“That would be great.” As she grabbed blankets from her wicker basket, Jay was passing her. She squeezed his arm as he did, a silent thank you. 

Blankets in hand, she returned her attention back towards her mom. She began to wrap her in them, as she didn’t make any motions to do it herself. 

Jay returned with the tea, carefully handing the steaming mug over to Hailey. As her mom took it into her hands, Hailey found herself thanking her partner yet again. 

“Thanks, Jay.” 

He shrugged, acting like his kind gesture was nothing. 

Her mom finally spoke up, and to Hailey’s surprise, directed her words towards Jay. “You’re Jay? Hailey’s partner?” She asked, her voice getting stronger. That was at least a good sign. 

“Yeah, I am.” He responded slowly, briefly glancing over at Hailey. 

She couldn’t tell if he was hesitant because of her being her mom, or the current state she was in. Probably a combination of the two. 

Her mom brightened up even more. It made Hailey sick to her stomach. She was acting as if everything was fine. 

“I’ve heard nothing but good things about you. Thanks for keeping my Hailey safe.” 

Hailey swore she saw Jay’s ears turn red at the compliment. She couldn’t remember seeing him flustered before. He ended up brushing off her words. “Truthfully, it’s more Hailey keeping me safe.” 

Hailey rolled her eyes with a smile, but couldn’t disagree. For sure Jay has had her back multiple times, but he was the one that had the natural tendency to find trouble.

Her mom only kept enthusiastically talking. It was if she was trying to ignore the events that led to her appearance at her doorstep. “I’m Helen, by the way. I wish I had some of Hailey’s baby pictures to show you, but they’re at home—“

“Why aren’t you at home, mom?” Hailey interrupted her, trying to keep her annoyance out of her voice. 

She felt a rush of guilt when her excitement subdued. Her interactions with her mom always ended up this way. She would try to dance around the topic, Hailey would confront her, and ultimately it ended with both of them in tears. Then her mom goes back home to her dad. Whenever they saw each other again, Hailey tended to keep her distance as much as possible, the cycle continued. 

She didn’t answer her, instead taking a long sip of her tea. Hailey also noticed her eyes looking cautiously at Jay. 

“He knows how Dad.....can get.” She lamely described her father’s abusive behavior. If she used harsh words her mom would get frazzled and defensive. 

Her mom visibly relaxed. There was noticeable tension still on her face however. She had to have been recounting tonight’s earlier events. 

“Your father came home from the bar....Just a few drinks, nothing bad.” She quickly added at Hailey’s disgruntled face. “I was nagging him too much... He got angry. I ended up going to the car to get my book, and he locked me out of the house.” She sounded guilty. 

Guilty! Hailey raged quietly in her mind. Her mother had nothing to be guilty about. “Mom,” She began talking slowly, trying to control her rising emotions. If she wasn’t careful, her mom could be spooked. “He locked you out of your own home, in the pouring rain. He’s the one to blame, not you.” 

Her mom hesitated. The fact she was questioning what happened was huge, as usually she would immediately begin defending him. 

“You had no coat, transportation, cell phone.” Hailey took advantage of the silence and carried on, not realizing her voice getting both louder and stronger. “You had nowhere to go but walk seven fucking blocks to your daughter’s house—“

“Hailey Ann.” 

Hailey flinched at the usage of her full name. That meant her mom was done talking. 

“It was a misunderstanding, that’s all.” The hardness in her voice was a stark contrast to her current appearance. 

Silence. Hailey desperately wanted to fill it, but the act would be pointless. She shouldn’t waste her time on something that wouldn’t change. 

Her mom yawned and leaned over to place her tea on the coffee table in front of her. “I’m exhausted. I think it’s time for me to go to bed.” 

She always went to bed ridiculously late, at least 12:30. Last time Hailey checked it was a little past 10.

But she went the typical route of letting her mother go. At least she could enjoy her night away from her abusive husband. “Okay, mom.” Hailey got up with her, following her closely behind. “There’s an extra toothbrush in the bathroom cabinet. Do you need anything else—“

“I’m fine.” She brushed her daughter off, hurrying to the bedroom. Hailey expected to have the door shut in her face, but her mom turned around and looked at her. 

Really looked at her. With the vulnerabilities she tried to hide constantly written all over her face. The pain, tiredness, defeat. 

It was enough for Hailey to attempt again. “Mom, you can stay here as long as you want.” The word forever was left unsaid, but it was implied. 

But she didn’t respond to her words. Instead she reached out her hand to cup Hailey’s check, and after a few seconds, gave her a soft smile and shut the bedroom door. 

Hailey stared at the wooden door, feeling as if it had been between her and her mother her entire life. 

After standing outside for a few more seconds, giving her mom another chance to reach out, she headed back to the living room to see Jay. 

She was nervous about how he would react. Jay had the biggest heart, and although he kept his composure in front of her mom, it was just her now. 

But Jay only had a small frown on his face when he came into full view. It was crazy that only half an hour ago they were enjoying some bourbon. 

“Sorry about that.” Hailey gestured lamely behind her, in reference to her mom. “So much for a relaxing night of drinks.” 

“You have nothing to be sorry about.” He brushed off her apology. “I should head out, though.” 

Hailey grabbed his elbow with a shake of her head. “No, it’s horrible outside.” She gestured towards her bedroom. “Stay here, I’ll take the couch.” 

Jay scoffed at her statement, as if what she suggested was nothing but insane. “There’s no way I’m taking your bed with what just happened.” 

Honestly she was just happy he wasn’t leaving that she didn’t argue back. “Fine.” 

“Do you want to talk about it?” He asked with a tilt of his head. Behind him, in the kitchen, she could see their glasses on the counter, half-full. 

While ranting about her family drama over alcohol seemed tempting, her heart wasn’t into talking. 

“Not really.” She shook her head, collapsing on the couch. He followed, sitting down on the other side. 

She wasn’t even sure what she wanted to do. Tonight’s events had her wide awake, there was no way she was going to bed for hours. 

The sound of the television turning on pulled Hailey from her thoughts. 

“Netflix?” Jay asked, already pressing on the app. 

A perfect distraction. “Sounds perfect.” She told him with relief, leaning back and placing her head on a pillow as he played the next episode of The Crown. 

For the next hour she allowed herself to be distracted by royal family drama instead of her own. 

————

When Hailey woke up the next morning, the first thing she did was go to her guest room to check on her mom. 

She didn’t know why, because she knew before she even walked in that it would be probably empty. 

But that was the basis of her relationship with her mom. Hope. That one day she’d be able to convince her to leave dad. That she would be in her guest room, for not just the previous night, but for however long she needed. 

It was what kept her in contact with her, despite meaning contact with her dad as well. Despite the consistent reopening of her childhood wounds by doing so, she wanted desperately to help her mom. 

The aftermath of every encounter was when her doubts of continuing contact were at their highest though. 

With a long and anguished sigh, Hailey left the room. 

She was so preoccupied with her mom that she forgot Jay stayed the night. He was in the kitchen, cooking something on her stove. As she got closer she could smell bacon and eggs. 

The domesticity of the scene in front of her did not pair well with her confusing feelings for Jay. Despite this she pushed past them, plopping herself on a chair at her counter with a plastered smile on her face. “Guess I need to force you to stay over more often.” She quipped, taking a bite of eggs from the plate in front of her. 

“I expect my check by the end of the week.” He told her cheekily, putting a cup of coffee in front of her. 

She only rolled her eyes at his joke, focusing instead on the lack of food in front of Jay. He only had coffee. 

“Did you already eat?” She asked before stuffing more food in her mouth. He was a better cook than she was, hands down. Getting him to cook for her was always a treat. 

He nodded. “I ate with your mom.” 

She felt her back straighten up at his words. “You did?” Other questions were left unsaid, despite her desperately wanting to ask them. How was she? What did they talk about? 

“Yep.” Jay took a long sip of his coffee before continuing. “Took her home too.” 

She couldn’t help but frown at that. “You could have woken me up. I would have taken her home.” She wasn’t blaming him. However this was her mother and she should have been the one taking care of her today. She internally cursed herself for forgetting to set her alarm last night. After watching a few episodes with Jay she went into her room and passed out immediately.

She knew his response by his sad smile, before he even said anything. “She didn’t want me to.” 

Hailey made a noise of acknowledgement before taking a sip of coffee. She closed her eyes with content as the warm liquid went down her throat. He made the coffee just how she liked it.

The distraction didn’t last long however, as thoughts of her mother were becoming louder and louder. “How was she?” She finally said, placing her mug down. 

“Antsy, really wanted to leave.” Was his response. “She tried to hide it by talking a lot, mostly about you.” 

The smirk on his face had her concerned for a completely different reason. “That has me feeling better.” She sarcastically told him. 

The lighthearted talk didn’t last for long. Jay broached the subject he unsuccessfully tried to get her to talk about last night. “That sucks though. Dealing with your mom.” 

Hailey mindlessly plays with her food, picking up eggs with her fork and then dropping them back on her plate. There was really nothing to say to make any of this better. But wanting to properly acknowledge him, she gave him a response. 

“It’s hard.” She admitted, looking up and making eye contact with Jay. He was staring at her intently, as if he was hanging onto every word she said. “I have to keep my distance.” 

“It says a lot that you still keep in contact.” He pointed out to ease her guilt.

“I guess a part of me believes that one day she’ll leave him.” She sighed, reaching out to grab a piece of bacon. It was cold. She ate it anyways. “My brothers don’t. They gave up a long time ago.” 

The disbelief on Jay’s face made her feel the need to defend her brothers. “They tried for a long time. But after having families.....it’s hard to hide from the kids as they get older.”

He still looked bothered. “If you ever want to talk about it, I’m here.” 

Despite the conversation topic, Hailey found her lips turning up into a smile. Her family was something she didn’t discuss with anyone. Except Jay seemed to be an exception now. Ever since he was shot she had been opening up to him more and more. It was dangerous considering her feelings but she found herself unable to stop. “I know you are.” 

He always was.


End file.
